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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Alabama judge grants request for delaying trial so lawyer can go to title game

College football in the south is a way of life for folks. It often takes precedent over family gatherings, church, and now apparently the court system.

The Birmingham Newsreports that a civic court trial slated for Jan. 7 is being pushed back so that lawyer Marcus Jones III can attend the BCS National Championship Game featuring Notre Dame and his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide.

A judge had denied his first attempt earlier this month to have the trial delayed.

Jones has been a self-described "fanatic" of University of Alabama football since his father took him to football games in the early 1960s as a young boy. He said he still has a beer can Joe Namath drank from at a bar the night it was announced the star Alabama quarterback would be joining the Jets.

"We're just die hard Alabama fans," he said of his family.

So when he was finally assured that his University of Alabama football team would be going to the BCS National Championship game on Jan. 7, he bought tickets and had one major obstacle to overcome. He needed to get a civil court trial rescheduled that was set to begin the day of the game.

His prayers were answered as Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Scott Vowell granted his latest request on Thursday.

The judge, a self-admitted Auburn Tigers fan, had this to say regarding the decision.

"While I remain an Auburn fan, even after this dismal season, I hate to see an Alabama man cry. I have therefore reluctantly agreed to grant the lawyers a short continuance," Vowell stated.

Surprisingly, this isn't the first time with which a judge has granted a delay on the account of college football.

Vowell referenced previous trials where he and other colleagues delayed hearings or trials for fan-lawyers because of Alabama's appearance in the 2010 national championship game and then again with Auburn for the 2011 national championship game.

Upon further review, it appears as though a federal judge in Indiana also granted a continuance in a trial for a Notre Dame fan. That lawyer will also be attending the national title game.

Obviously, college football holds the power in this country, not the government.